


If We Could Hold This Forever

by Stevebucky_and_alpine



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Artist!Steve, Bisexual Steve Rogers, Evil Alexander Pierce, Gay Bucky Barnes, Jane foster is also secretly a little shit, M/M, Mentions of Cancer, Nerd!Bucky, Pining, Stark Expo, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, and is a little shit, bucky and alpine supremacy, call this my unhealthy coping mechanism because thats exactly what is is, mixed berry smoothie, pirozhki, sam and bucky are actually friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:28:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29364018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stevebucky_and_alpine/pseuds/Stevebucky_and_alpine
Summary: High school is fine, generally speaking.Sure there are bullies, family drama and some of the world's worst people among your school staff and teachers team that really suck, but it's not all that. It's about the bonds, about the people you choose to hold close, about the struggles and (dumb) choices and possibilities, it's about the future.So high school is fine, for the most part. And sometimes you wish some things would have never changed.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers





	If We Could Hold This Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Letting a Tony Stark, Bucky Barnes, Jane Foster, Bruce Banner and James Rhodes in the same group, will only result in "righteous mischief". Because yeah, maybe Rhodey and Bucky are all but trouble-makers, but Bucky's been around the human chihuahua Steve Rogers long enough to finally give up resisting, and when Rhodey is out for a little over a month... well.

**(Fine, It Sure Is)**

* * *

"This is a _bad_ idea, Tony." Bucky said. "Zola will no doubt kill us if he finds out!" He threw his hands up in the air.

"Well, nobody said he's gonna find out." Tony whispered, slurping his mixed berry smoothie and raised an eyebrow at him, then pointed it to Zola, motioning for him to keep his voice down.

Bucky looked around at the group open-mouthed. "Like, you're all down with this? really guys?" he asked.

"Come on, don't be lame, Buchanan."

"I mean, we're technically not doing anything _wrong_. It will be a normal "high schoolers' science project gone wrong" sort of thing." Jane said, holding her notepad, already dark with so many ideas on their "accidental disaster", _they've even made a graphic guide._

"Bruce?" And got nothing from him, but a "don't ask me, I do what Tony does" gesture. "Come on guys, they'll rip our heads off, we're all still under Pierce's radar after that "accidental power outage" during Schmidt's lecture last month. This is crazy _ohmygod_." Bucky shook his head with disbelief.

"The guy's clearly a Nazi James-" Tony said and Bucky cut him off.

"He wasn't saying anything _Nazi-ish_ , for god's sake, just teaching the damn book."

"Still a Nazi." Jane shrugged.

"God I really miss Rhoades." Bucky ran a hand through his hair. "Alright dammit, give me the fucking notepad." -Tony imitated Steve saying _"Language."-_ He let a breath out. "But I swear to whatever you believe in, that if we get caught, if they call my grandmother in, if _anything_ happens-" He pointed his finger at each and every one of them with a deadly glare. "I will fill a syringe with air and inject it between your toes in your sleep, and it would seem like a normal "a group of high schoolers all randomly died of heart attack" sort of thing."

"Now I know I'm gonna sleep with my shoes on for the rest of my life." Tony's eyebrows jumped far up his forehead.

Something fell and shattered to the ground at the other end of the lab and Zola's deeply accented scream raised to the sky at the unlucky group over there, with the heavy and gross smell of what seemed to had been inside the destroyed container, having the whole lab flinching and falling silent, eyes locked on each other.

For a really short time.

"Now, bold of you to assume that would stop me." Bucky threatened, after all the discussion around them was picked up again from every corner of the giant hall, waving the smell away.

"Come on Bucky. You know I don't run into something I doubt I'm gonna kick in the ass." Tony said, taking one of the few remaining sips of smoothie.

"Yeah well, I give you that one." Bucky said after silent seconds of consideration. "well, let's be idiots and do this."

Jane looked around at them all and smiled brightly as ever. "Perfect! So, here's the plan;" She let her notepad on the table.

***

The weather was cooler than usual and the sky partly cloudy as he walked out of the building to _their_ table. He usually got Steve first, but he'd told him he'd be busy before lunch so he would join them later and at the "VIP Lounge" (aka their table). Bucky wished he'd brought his hoodie with him and hadn't just walked outside in a t-shirt as the little breeze started to tense up to a wind, sending a tiny shiver down his spine. He was already feeling chilly since being pushed in water by Clint on Friday night (and chasing him in his wet clothes for thirty minutes, which was the part he had kept from the story while explaining the disaster he looked like, to his grandmother) so he was catching a cold _before_ Steve this year. Wow, awesome. And with the same stupid wind blowing, he had to brush his hair out of his face multiple times before reaching the table; he definitely needed a haircut.

"--Thank fuck, a sensible one! Bucky! you tell him, Moneyball is a fucking masterpiece." Clint cut through the air with his fork, his motion for "this conversation is done".

"Come the fuck _on_ , Clint. Seriously what the hell can be masterpiece-y about an unbelievably average sport drama?" Tony said and cut Clint off right as he opened his mouth. "No Clint, you ain't answering the question, just jumping around like an angry chicken. What. The. Hell. Can be masterpiece-y about that! Buddy, hell, I watched it too, it's just _not_ a masterpiece."

"I mean, he's right you know? Like yeah, cool or good or touching or dramatic and beautiful, sure. But not _that_ good." Sam said. "Really." He emphasized and Clint threw his hands in the air, _absolutely_ frustrated.

"Bucky?" He then looked up at Bucky, as if he was his last hope... which he actually was. Poor Clint.

He gave him an apologetic look as he sat down. "Sorry mate, not my area of expertise." Opened his lunch box and everyone stopped mid-sentence turning to Bucky. Well to his lunch box.

"Oh my god, she made pirozhki again, am I in heaven." Tony said, already leaning forward and picking one. he let out a long, deep moan, taking the first bite. "Fuck these are just too good to exist in our pathetic human lives. Wow. God bless your grandma, Barnes." He said, eyes closed with pleasure and Bucky laughed. He bit into one himself, and it melted into a delicious work of art in his mouth.

"Yeah, yeah, that's how you've worked that tongue that now she loves _you_ more than her own grandchildren." Bucky said with a fake eyeroll, putting the box out for the other two, just as Jane and Bruce put their stuff down at the table. "pirozhki?!" They gaped in unison, each got one and sat down, leaving some space on Bucky's right.

The conversation was picked up again soon, starting from the expected "The Woman in Black", to the Yankees and a hyper-exited Clint and Jane, shouting over each other with wild opinions and predictions, to Sam super-fanboying over Adele's 21 and how "It's easily the best album of the past ten years, change my mind." and not letting anyone speak because their opinions are dumb, and therefore invalid, some very juicy, but highly-expected school gossip and to the Stark Expo starting in less than six weeks.

"It's gonna be lit, this year." Tony said, sipping his second mixed berry smoothie of the day. "That Japanese group from last year? they're up to something big, and by big, I mean so fucking big none of the team members is allowed to have _any_ interviews of _any_ sort. _Any_. like, seriously they're making a fucking time machine or space portal or something?" Tony said with so many different questions in his voice, definitely wanting the answer to all of them be "yes".

"I mean, knowing _them_ , it's actually not _that_ improbable." Jane said over a mouthful of pasta and Tony nodded happily.

"Oh, and you guys are all invited to the "VIP Show". Tony added a moment or two later, calmly. Once again everyone fell silent, looking at Tony and then at each other in pure exited shock, for some good five seconds and Tony silently looked at them without turning fully away from his shawarma.

"Yeah, cool I know? Guess that's his way of trying to make up the whole two past years that was all but never seen, and when seen, well, least to say just as good of a father as Daniel Plainview, so yeah. Stark Expo, VIP Show." He shrugged, not even bothering to hide the way his face falls when he thinks about him anymore. They've all been with him long enough to have gotten to know the other side of _the_ Howard Stark. The unbearably strict, probably-not-give-a-fuck-about-his-own-son's-mental-wellbeing, "you're far from living up to what you should have, Tony, and it's just disappointing" side of him. And nobody in the group even doubted that "the way" Tony was, was because of him. How he never let himself really rest, how he pushed himself to the limit and far over, how he often had trouble sleeping, how he'd had secret panic attacks over the slightest chances of failure, and how he hid all the pain and troubles and doubts behind his sassy bad boy-genius facade.

They managed to stay quiet, only gave him the silent look that he would kick them for, if he had caught. (But he was suddenly all too invested in playing with the head of his smoothie glass, _countless times_ , to notice.)

"So where's Steve, anyways?" Sam asked, looking at Bucky pointedly, eyes widened with a serious look. _"Change the subject, Barnes."_

"Oh! Uh... nothing, he uh... said he'd join us after he was done, said he was busy." Bucky said, eating his last pirozhki, so three would be left for Steve, and he closed his box with a sigh. An awkward silence fell over the table. Thanks for the change of subject, Barnes.

"Bucky, sorry to tell you this, but you sound like you're gonna get a bad cold." Bruce said after some time, looking so damn worried, like he was just about to run to the nurse room (As he'd may or may not had a couple dozen times by now). "Yeah, it's getting too cold, too soon, this year." They all agreed.

"But I'll be fine, no worries."

The bell rang, and Steve was still nowhere to be seen.

Heading back to their classes, the group broke apart in different directions. With Sam, Bucky and Tony to English, Clint to Physics and Jane and Bruce to Geometry. And Bucky was hoping the pirozhki would still taste fine, waiting in the box until the last bell ringed. _"They better do."_ he thought. Because Steve loved his grandmother's pirozhki more than picking up fights with bullies twice his size. And so that just meant _a lot_.

***

The pirozhki _did_ seem pretty well. 

"Sorry I couldn't join you guys at lunch." Steve said, leaning by Bucky's locker, waiting for him to gather his stuff, which wouldn't usually take more than a minute. Sometimes he thanked god he didn't walk home with Bruce, because oh man, he had the brain of Einstein and was _just_ as, let's say "disorganized" as his hair and it took like fifteen minutes for him to _finally_ get going.

"Aw, come on Stevie, that's fine." Bucky smiled and handed him his lunch box, zipping his backpack. "Had to keep it cool by the window, so not as good as it was. pirozhki." He pulled his dark red hoodie over his head and then Steve to his side.

"Wow, ok what have I done to deserve this heavenly treat?" Steve laughed and took a bite. "Oh my god, how does she even do this? I mean, it has to be illegal how good it is, really, wow." He looked so serious and Bucky chuckled.

"Well yeah, and consider it a _reward_. Not getting into a fight for _ten_ _whole fucking days_ Steve, I think that's a new record, and let's not go this way because anyone sees what's in that lunch box and then it's empty, you know how it is." He said, changing their way from the main hallway to the front yard, out to the teachers' parking lot.

"I mean, if you promise to bring me pirozhki every day, I might turn into something like you or Rhodey. A new "all time no trouble", boring nerd. Who knows?" He gave a half shrug, tiny laugh a raised eyebrow and managed the box, his water bottle and the half-eaten pirozhki in one hand and slipped his left arm around Bucky's shoulders.

Bucky looked at him and felt his chest warming. He felt proud. Puberty was hitting Steve quite late but it kind of ran in the family. His mother said that both her, and Steve's uncle started _actually_ growing when they were 15-16 and so was he. And this was good. He felt much more confident; but well, also much cockier. As in, if three years ago he saw some bully(ies), went up to them with a "Hey! What the hell you think you're doing?", got into hell of a fight, got beaten up, and Bucky had to come kick the bully(ies) and drag Steve out, now he saw some bully(ies), went up to them with a "Hey! What the hell you think you're doing?!", got into hell of a fight, got beaten but also beat the fuck out of the other one(s), and Bucky couldn't drag him out anymore, because he said he was doing fine and of course Bucky wouldn't resist the down look Steve would give him later and the soft and defeated "I can't just let them do whatever the hell they want Buck. And especially not _now_ that I _can_ beat their asses. I always had you to have my back. Not everyone does Buck, and I can't just stand by and watch that.", and then the sad poppy eyes looking out to nowhere. So what Bucky did, was let Steve have his moments of "hey prick, you're done", and even occasionally mutter a "fuck it" under his breath and join him in getting righteously in trouble.

"So wanna tell me what kept you from joining our luxury fun war over Moneyball and The Woman in Black at lunch?" He asked as they were now fully out of school.

"Oh wow, I feel _really_ jealous of ya'll right now." Steve laughed.

"You have _no_ idea Rogers; you look fucking green." Bucky said with a shocked cry that was way too fake for even the two of them and they burst out laughing.

"Yeah, so it's this new technic she's teaching us, that is just so beautiful and Bucky, you need to see the final results, they just look... _beautiful_. Really beautiful." Steve said, so much passion in his voice that Bucky wanted to just throw himself off something. Because if he didn't, he might've just pulled an _even_ crazier move. "But given how no prize comes without hard work-- just as these glorious pirozhki that you're gonna bring me from now on every day, have come with me staying out of trouble-- it just... takes so much time to like, really learn it. Let alone mastering at it." He added rolling his eyes, probably feeling like there's no way he's gonna pull it off.

"Aw, of course you gonna do it Stevie, you're fucking great at this." He gave him a proud smile and pushed Steve softly with the same hand he had over his shoulder. "...And who said I'm gonna bring you pirozhki every day, again?"

"Well, given how much you _looooooove_ to keep me from another broken nose, I say it's a done deal, don't you think?" He said with one of his cocky half smiles turning to Bucky.

"Oh wow, didn't I tell you? I've _realized_ that you were right about the _whole thing_ , you know? Of course we shouldn't just stand by and do nothing. Not happening again." He said, with a thoughtful nod, which was _again_ so damn fake that they both cracked up once more.

They walked in a calm peaceful silence for several minutes. Steve closed the now empty box and slipped it around his wrist from the hanger and it clumped softly on his leg as they went; the downtown Brooklyn streets quiet after the school day, colder than usual and promising rain, with the dark sky.

"We going to M.A.P.S tonight? They said it's gonna be a long shower." He turned to Bucky. "And you don't seem that far from an ugly cold." Steve added keeping his eyes on Bucky, eyebrows knitted with worry. And they took the last turn, before the last turn to Steve's alley with the same pace, same way as ever.

"Ugh, we better go. I have a disaster to plan with the trouble squad, so yeah." Bucky said. "-Oh, but you don't have to come if you, you know-" He immediately added.

"Bucky come on, I don't catch a cold with a fucking breeze anymore-" Steve pinched his arm. "-and hey a disaster? Character development, huh?" He punched the same place he'd pinched, affectionately this time.

Bucky "ow"ed. "Well yeah. But I will kick each and every one of them if it goes wrong."

"Still a character development." Steve said after a pause.

"Ah yes... I mean, I've been around you for ten years now and you're a terrible, terrible influence, so." Bucky shrugged his lips turning upwards gently.

"Heh. You like me anyway." He said punching his arm and Bucky looked back with a smile and just as he opened his mouth to laugh a "You wish Rogers.", they bumped into Mr. Fury, Steve's neighbor, spilling his afternoon iced americano on Bucky's beloved hoodie.

"Shit! So sorry sir!!"

"Whoa kids. _I_ got one eye fucked up, watch where you going." He said, fully annoyed. But then shook his head and replaced his grumpy tone with a concerned one. "You kids alright?" And grabbed them each with his free arm and looked them fiercely up and down, probably looking for a broken skull or crunched neck or displaced shoulder.

"Oh yeahyeahyeah! We're fine, really sorry Mr. fury and for your coffee-"

"Nah, it's fine. I shouldn't take this much caffeine a day anyway." He said, waving it off. "But you boys be careful. I've seen how teenagers are these days, so careless that might jump in the middle of a fucking highway without even noticing."

"Yeah, we would. And sorry again!" Bucky shouted after him as he nodded and walked away.

"I don't really think we would Buck." He said later as they stopped in front of Steve's apartment porch and looked at him from below his eyelashes beaming softly. Bucky paused at him, then let a quick breath out giving a single nod and searched his pocket for his keys.

"So, uh, see you at M.A.P.S tonight?" Bucky said, having found his keys, suddenly ready to go.

"Oh- Uh... yeah well I... I will be there."

"Ok great see you then." Bucky said hopping away the couple remaining feet home, not looking back. 

This wasn't the first time he'd literally ran off in the past couple months, and knowing himself, it would certainly not be the last. _"But that's better than making a mistake."_ he thought as he pushed it to the back of his head and opened the door.

"Hi _Babulya_ , I'm home! Where's Becca?"


End file.
